Driving mechanism for motor-vehicles.



J. EGKHARD".

- DRIVING MECHANISM FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED'-IEB.8, 1911.

- Patented Dec. 12, 1911.

2 SHEETS-BHEET 1.

J. EGKHARD. DRIVING MEOHANISM FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

" V APPLICATION FILED IEB.8, 19ll.

Patented Dec. 12, 1911.

2 SHEBTB BHEBT 2.

' I 052.36% 'c] kWEc% I ZMPJZWMV JOHN nonnnnn, or

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

DRIVING-MECHANISM ms MOTOR-VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent. I

Patented Dec. 12, 1911.

Application filed February 8, 1911. Serial No. 607,273.

T 0 all who'ni it mag concern:

Be it .known that I, JOHN EGK-HARD, of Boston, in the county of Sufiolk and State oflvlassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Driving Mechanismjfor Motor-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an improvement' in the mechanism of a motordriven vehicle by which power is carried from the motor tothe traction wheels. 4 .More particularly it relates to motor trucks and other heavy and ponderous auto-,

mobiles of which the motive power is furnished by an internal combustion engine, and which also the variations of speed and power are effected by shifting one or more sliding gears or clutches. The mechanisms of this character'most commonly used in heavy motor vehicles consist of gearing of which one or more members may slide into meshwith different gears, or in which are provided positive driving jaw clutches,

or internal and external gearclutches, or any other positive disengageable couplings connectible and disconnectible with each other, so as to increase or diminish the speed and tractive force of the driving road wheels. In vehiclesof this nature, particularly those of high. power and great weight, much difliculty has been experienced on account of the difliculty of bringing the relatively movable gears into mesh without stripping their teeth, and in fact under even the best conditions the teeth of these gears are very rapidly and seriously worn away at thoseendswhich strike together when they are first drawn into mesh. This is due to the fact that in changing the gears while the vehicle is in motion the momentum of the gears must be'overcome when those which are to be meshed are running at different speeds, and the resistance to this momentum or inertia is borne wholly in the first instance by the ends of the teeth which first comeinto engagement. Thus the ends of the teeth are subject to severe strains and are rapidly worn away under the best conditions, while underunfavorable conditions the teeth are entirely stripped 0E.

The object of my invention is todiminish the amount of inertia or momentum to be overcome in changing the gears. This is efiect'ed disconnecting the transmission mechanism from both the driving shaft and the shaft which transmits the power to the traction wheels when a change is made. Heretofore it has been the practice to provide a clutch between the motor and the transmission mechanism by which the latter may be disconnected'for this purpose, but the connection of a part of the transmission mechanism with the traction wheels has always been continued, and as a consequence it has been necessary in shifting a gear into mesh with another gear or traveling positive clutch members into connection'with complcmental members running at a higher or lower speed, to overcome the inertia or momentum of the entire mechanism, except a few of the lighter parts thereof. As the parts which require to be slowed or speeded include a heavy shaft and massive gears, weighing many pounds in large vehicles, the strain borne by the tooth ends, which are beveled to assist bringing them into mesh, is very great. My invention removes this netessity and puts the transmission mechanism in such a condition'that only the inertia of a few light parts need be overcome in changing speed The manner in which I accomplish this object is described in full in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which, i

' Figure 1 represents a plan view of the power-transmitting mechanism of a motordriven vehicle. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a form of clutch which I find suitable for making detachable connection between the transmission mechanism and the traction wheels, such clutch being one out of the many diverse types which might be employed. Fig. 3 is a plan view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the cover of the transmission box applied and illustrating a difi'erent mode of carrying the power to the traction wheels. Fig. 4 is aside elevation of the transmission case, parts thereof 'being broken away. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional elevation on line 55 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an elevation of the clutch or coupling shown in Fig, 3.

The same'reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

Referring to the drawings 1 represents a shaft which is driven -bythe motor and constitutes in the combination hereinafter describedand claimed the driving member or driving element.

-2 represents the transmission mechanism as a whole. 1 v

3 represents two road wheels which serve as driving wheels, which wheels" are connected with the transmission mechanism by chains 4, sprockets 5- on a shaft 6, differential gearing 7, ashaft S and a clutchor coupling 9, The lastmention'ed connections which drive" the traction Wheels maybe.

. called the tractor mechanism and the drivhides. and 5i illustrativejof a, possible type of transm1sing wheels" thetractor elements The transmission .gearing here shownis one of theirna'i y' types use in motor .ve-

represented here as merely sion which f'm'ay'be used, and not as being intended to limit me to the: use of'any par- .ticular type of such mechanism. In order tailed description cannot be taken as an indicationthatil limit my invention to this;

' adapted to engag1 to make the invention understood I must describe this mechanism in detai1,but I wish to make it clearly understood that such debe described, and on which is keyed a gear 11, a secondshaft12 in, alinement with shaft on which are slidinglymounted gears 13 and 14, and a counter-shaft 15 towhich are securedgears' lfi, 17 18 and 19'. r The gears -13 and 114 are'sp'lined or otherwise so-engaged withshaft 12, that, although they may slide endwise thereon, the cannot ro-' tate independently thereon. onvenient-ly the shaft 12 is s'quaredand the gears are made to fit it. When the transmission mechanism is in the neutral position, gears 13 and 14 are both out of mesh .and the shaft 12 remains stationary, although'the shafts 10,and 15 with the gears thereon may be in rotation. For obtaining diiferent speeds the gear 13 may be putin mesh with 17 or directly with a clutch 20 between it and'the gear 11,and when 13 is out of mesh either with 17 or with the clutch, gear l tmay be engaged with either the gear 18 or an id or pinion 21 meshing with 19. the latter-pininn wise thereon, The adjacent faces of the conical head and being provided forreversing. Thus three different speeds in one direction and reversed rotation may be given to the shafb' 12 and transmitted therefrom to the tractor 1 mechanism. Prior to shifting the gears,

this -mechanism; is disconnected both from the driving element and from the tractor-- mechanism, and when the shifting-is, completed, the connection 1s again made. Thus between the driving element and the transv mission mechanism is a coupling 22, and between the transmission mechanism and the tractor mechanism is-a second coupling 9 which has already beenmen't1oned. These couplings may be of any character suitable for the purpose, such as clutches of any of the. known types, or other detachable couplings. ForIth'e purposeof illustration I have shown the coupling 22 as a multiple disk clutch of familiar design and the coupling 9 as a cone clutch. The latter is illustrated in detail and consists of a conical head 23 secured to the shaft 12 by any suit able means such as a flange 24 and boltsor a key, etc., and'a shell 25 surrounding the head and slidingly mounted upon the shaft section 8. For thus mounting the shell itis secured to a disk 26 which has a sleeve- 27 surroundini shaft 8 and movable e'nd shell are provided with frictional material and are held in contact'by a spring 28, the

eing held against rotation.

end thrust of which is taken'by antifriction 5" ball bearings 29 and 30. Disconnection of the clutch 'is-efi ected by a lever 31, shown in Figs. 4 and 5, which has a forked end embracing shaft 8 and bearing against a flange on the sleeve 27. This clutch-shift ing arm is secured on a rock sh'aft32 carrying arm 33 .to which is pivoted a link or operating rod 34 connected also to an arm 35 which operates a shifter 36 for discon necting the clutch 22. The rod 34 is designed to be joined toone of the levers or treadles which are arranged within reach of the' hand or foot of the driver. The

sliding gears are also operated in the usual way through rods 36 and 37 connected to holders 38 and 39'by which the gears. 13

1 and 14 respectively are carried.

The transmission gearing and couplings are inclosed in a box or case 40 made dustproof in ,the usual way. In the driving mechanism shown in- Fig. 1 the differential gearing 7 is also inclosed 1n the case.

In Fig. 3 another of the commonrforms'of tractor-mechanism is shown to illustrate the manner of'applying my invention thereto. In this form of the invention a differential gearing 41 is connected directly with the axles of the road wheelsand power is delivered thereto from the shaft 8 through a Floating shaft 42 connected by universal joints, with the shaft 8 and ashaft 4d supbot-h shafts 1O andrl2,

ported by the axle housing andcarrying the driving pinion of the differential gearmg.

Prior to making .a shift of the gears to change the speed both clutches or couplings- 9 and'22 are disconnected at the'same'time, therebyleaving the shafts 10 and 12 free.

.It is then possible. to shift'eithef sliding need to be overcome as well, this being due to the fact that as long as the shaft l2 is in connection with the tractor mechanism, and

the vehicle is in motion, such shaft is positively driven wit-h all the power due to the Weight and speed of the entire vehicle.

It will be readily seen that by my invention,which secures isolation of the transmission mechanism from both the drivingand driven elements, the accommodation of the gears to the, speed. of each other when brought into mesh may be made with very little resistance, with slight wear on the ends'of the teeth whichvfirst engage, and with absolutely no danger-of stripping the teeth of the gears. The transmission mech anism can bebrought to rest instantly, or reduced to any speed required by the will of the operator by the use of brakes Working automatically under the control of the operator when the gears are shifted, as shown in a co-pending application filed by me. Another advantage due to my invention is that the teeth of the changeable gears may be beveled-to a sharp edge at their ends so that they may be shifted into mesh in any no such tendency to wear off and break the sharp beveled edges of the toothends that position, even if the teeth of the two gears are not in perfect alinement. This is madepossible by the factthat the gears are free when the vehicle is in motion as well as when: it is standing still, and that there is existed before my invention was made.

I claim,

1. A driving mechanism for motor vehicles, comprising a driving shaft, transmission mechanism including parallel shafts and intermeshing gears, a. clutch between said driving shaft and transmission mechanism, a clutch member mounted on the end of one of the shafts of the transmission latter.

niechani smfa driven shaft in line withthe lastenafned shaft, a complementa-l clutch member on the driven shaft adjacent said firstnamed clutch member, one of said clutch members being movable on its shaft into and out .of-engagement with; the other member, a bearing for theidriven shaft, and a" second bearing supporting said'complemental clutch member. i

2.-In an automobile transmission mechanism thef-combination of the driving road wheels, a differential gearing for applying power to the road wheels, a driven shaft, a beyel gear on the end of said shaft, meshing with and driving saiddifferential gear ing, a bearing for such shaft close beside the bevel gear, a clutch member consisting of a disk having a hub and a conical shell, said hub being mounted slidingly and non-rotatively on the shaft, a bearing surrounding.

the hub, a transmission shaft in line with the-first-named shaft, a clutch cone secured upon saidtransmission shaft and contained within said shell, means for yieldingly forcing the first-named clutch member axially to engage its shell with the face of thecone,

and means for applying power to said translmi'ssion shaft.

3. .In an automobile driving mechanism, the combination of two shafts in alinement, one of said shafts having an extension entering an axial recess in the other, the latter shaft having a squared portion surrounding such extension, and'both shafts being held against axial movement, a clutch member having a squared hub surrounding the squared portion of the second shaft and movable longitudinally thereon,

ing surrounding the second shaft near the bevel gear, a second bearing surrounding the hub of the said clutch member, a clutch v a bevel gear se- 'cured to the end of the second shaft, a bearcone secured to the first-named shaft, and a 7 spring interposed between the clutch cone and the said clutch membergsaid member consisting of a disk and aconical shell secured to the 'disk and surrounding the clutch cone, andbeing pressed by the spring into engagement with the conical'surface of the 4. An automobile transmission mechanism, comprising a driving shaft, transmission mechanism including a plurality of shafts and gears mounted thereon, one of the shafts of the transmission mechanism being a delivery shaft, a clutch between the driving shaft and transmission mecha nism, a driven shaft in alinement with the delivery shaft of the. transmission mecha-.

nism, a bevel gear on the end of said driven shaft remote from the delivery shaft, a clutch cone secured to the delivery shaft adjacent to the driven shaft, a complemental clutch member having a hub mounted slidingly and non-rotatively on the ment with the cone and is prevented from driven shaft and having a conical shell surbeing displaced by side thrust of the driven rounding the clutch cone, yielding means inshaft.

terposed between the clutch cone and com- In testimony whereof I have afiixed my 5 plemental clutch member arranged to move signature, in presence of two Witnesses. 15

the. latter in such a manner as to press the I conical shell against the face of the cone, 2. JOHN ECKHARD' bearing for the driven shaft, and a bear- Witnesses:

1ng for the complemental clutch member A. H, BROWN,

10 whereby the latteris retained in direct aline P. PEZZE'I'I'I. 

